Lose Yourself
by BluWhispers
Summary: AU, NejiSasu. When Sasuke first comes to Konohagakure, aka Mutant High, he wants to leave. But somehow, he must learn that in life, no man is an island, and it's better to open your heart and take the leap than run away and hide in the darkness.
1. Chapter 1

**Lose Yourself**

**Chapter 1**

**By BluWhispers**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, nor anything else created by Masashi Kishimoto.

**Warning:** This is a YAOI fic. Meaning GUY loves GUY, possibly GUY kiss GUY, and if this was a lemon fic it'd be GUY bang GUY explicitly. If homosexual love does not appeal to you, don't read this. You have been warned. Flames will NOT be appreciated and will definitely be ignored. Constructive criticism is always welcome though.

**A/N:** My first NejiSasu pairing. They're my favorite couple, and there just aren't enough fics about them!

**Summary:** NejiSasu. AU. Rated for foul language, violence, drug mention, and some hot-and-heavy scenes.

Honestly, why did people always assume he was an art major?

Sasuke fumed as he stalked silently through the halls towards his locker. It was empty and quiet, the students having over-run the cafeteria and lawns to have their mid-day meal. Sasuke himself hadn't even gotten his meal, he'd been standing in line when some blonde chick had asked him if he was an art major and interested in joining her little Drama Society. She had simpered all the while.

He'd left. Fuck the hunger, he wasn't gonna stick around and get mobbed by airheads. And this was just a college, who talked about majors here? Sure, Konohagakure was an odd place, where students entered in 10th grade and went on to complete their tertiary education in the same place. Konoha was a school for the talented – its nickname was Mutant High.

Sasuke slammed the door to his locker open, it rebounded off the neighboring locker and nearly took his head off. He caught it in time, angrier than before. Grabbing his books for the next period, he headed off to class, praying none of the Bimbo Bunch were smart enough to take his subjects.

As he passed a glass panel, he caught his reflection. Which part of him looked like an art major? He looked preppy, not punky. His short black hair was spiked, the collar of his navy blue Ralph Lauren shirt flipped up, and his white Bermudas were freshly pressed. Sure, he had a diamond stud in his left ear, but that didn't classify him as an art major. Around his neck a silver-wrought chain gleamed, the pendant well hidden in Sasuke's shirt. Rolling his eyes at being vain enough to actually check himself out (in a glass panel in the hallway, no less), Sasuke continued off to class, his khaki loafers making no sound on the marble floors.

----

"Hyuuga? Why are you activating your Byakugan?"

Neji turned to Shikamaru, blinking as he de-activated his 'talent'. He turned back to his long-cold lunch without answering.

Sasuke had been heading to the Omega Hall. They were having Advanced Calculus together then.

As he bit into his grilled salmon, Neji smiled to himself.

----

Sasuke sat towards the back of the hall, off to the side, idly flicking through his well-worn copy of John Forbes Nash's essays. He looked up as the doors to the hall opened and students started to fill up the enormous lecture theatre. Disinterested in the gaggle of people, he turned back to his book.

"I actually prefer Selten's work." A deep, heady voice spoke next to him. Starting a little, Sasuke turned to face the owner of the voice of liquid sex. Next to him sat two guys around his age. The one in the aisle seat had a lazy slant to his eyes, but they were sharp and intelligent. He had leaned back in his seat and put his feet up on the chair in front of him, ignoring the occupant's indignant sputtering. And the guy next to him was what Sasuke had always thought the perfect male would look like. He was obviously tall, even leaning back in his seat, with broad shoulders, and muscles obvious under the white polo-tee. His faded jeans clung to slim hips and lean, long legs, and his long black hair whispered down the back of his seat as he settled into it with a kind of careless elegance. His face was perfectly molded – chiseled and angled in all the right places, with a strong jaw and thin lips saving it from being too feminine in its beauty.

But it was the stranger's eyes that caught and held Sasuke's transfixed gaze – they were a pure, glacial white, with a slight lavender sheen as they held his own onyx eyes.

Catching himself close to blushing (real men didn't blush, he reminded himself firmly), he turned back to his book, feigning disinterest after his prolonged perusal.

"And you would have read all of Reinhard's articles? You don't look like the German speaking type to me." There, his tone held just the right amount of arrogance and apathy. Better to make this guy leave, before Sasuke embarrassed himself further.

The stranger's amused voice clearly conveyed that Sasuke's attempt at playing it cool had been seen through. "Du bist sexy, Schatz." He practically purred it. Sasuke didn't understand the whole thing, but he understood sexy and he understood THAT tone. The guy was hitting on him, and it wasn't subtle.

A thought left him cold. What if this guy was playing with him? Mocking him? Maybe somehow he knew of Sasuke's past. And he'd decided to fuck up the new kid on the block, make a fool out of the Uchiha, and tear him down the way THEY had when he'd been a kid.

Fury filled his heart, the way it always did every time he was uncertain, unsure, afraid, hurt. It was a defense mechanism, but it was the only way he could cope. It had always been him against the world, left alone to fend for himself while everyone else had their friends and family to rely on, support them. He'd changed himself, turned himself into someone new, just so that wouldn't happen again. He was a long way from that crying little boy in the rain, and he wasn't about to back down now.

Face set in a steely glare, his ebony eyes flashing fire, he turned to the smirking hottie next to him. The surprise and flicker of uncertainty threw him off guard for a second, but he hardened his heart the way he always did. Better to be safe than sorry. And safe meant driving everyone away. Before they hurt him as they invariably did.

His harsh voice laced with loathing, Sasuke hissed. "Well Schiβe right up your arse, fucking homo. I might be a freak, but not like you." When the tall stranger's eyes narrowed, and his friend snapped to alertness in his covert way, Sasuke felt something that could have been fear. He chose to ignore it, but as he stood to leave, he hated the way his hands shook slightly as they picked up his books. He made his way unhindered out of the theatre as their professor entered, a silver-haired man with only one eye showing on his masked face.

"And where do you think you're going?" The professor sounded amused, and somehow familiar. But his stance was lazy and his eye was laid-back. What was it with people here and their strange ways?

"Out of here. You're late anyway." Sasuke left the hall, the door swinging shut behind him with a resounding 'thud', but not before he heard the outbreak of whispers and chatter from the other students. He stormed off towards the dorms, fuming. What a way to start a new beginning. He should never have decided to go to school.

Then again, it wasn't really his choice.

----

"Well I hear you made quite an impression, Uchiha Sasuke. No one can stop talking about you." The old man's eyes crinkled in paternal amusement. Sasuke snorted internally. Outwardly he kept his silence. It wouldn't do to piss this man off. He didn't need unnecessary headaches.

"It's quite safe to say that you will henceforth be avoided by Hyuuga Neji and his friends, after what you said to him in the hall." Sasuke's startled gaze flew to the Chancellor. Others had heard? He'd thought he'd been quiet enough. Or had that Hyuuga gone bawling to the Chancellor like a wet-behind-the-ears brat?

Smiling his benign smile, the Chancellor simply tapped his head. So he had been listening in, stupid decrepit piece of…

"My, my, language, Uchiha Sasuke." That smile was starting to grate on his nerves.

"However your behavior towards a member of staff is inexcusable, so you will be serving detention with Professor Hatake for the rest of the semester." That smile grew bigger, if it was possible.

The rest of the semester? They'd only just started! Fuck this shit, he was leaving. He wasn't gonna stay around and get mocked and punished. He'd made his own way, he wasn't gonna buckle under some stupid old coot's orders.

"Hardly orders, Uchiha Sasuke. Simply a request," the smiling face turned serious. "That you give us a chance here to help you. Hyuuga Neji was not mocking you. You don't remember him, but your family and his were very close when you were a child. He remembers you, and his attentions were sincere."

Hyuuga had been a family friend? How had the old fart known? And what the hell did he mean by…

"His attentions were sincere?" Sasuke glared. "So not only do you shelter homeless orphans, you train your own private mutant army and encourage the freaks to be fucking gay?"

That stupid smile was back. "Well, if you put it that way, then yes, I'm afraid so." Sarutobi Asuma beamed at Sasuke. The ebony-haired Uchiha could feel the beginnings of a headache coming on. Dealing with the Sandaime of Konohagakure was a trying feat.

"Hmph." Sasuke stood. "Well, do what you like, old man. But I'm leaving. I didn't come here for this." He moved to the door, but just as he was pulling it open the Sandaime called out.

"And what about Itachi?"

Sasuke froze, looking at his shaking hand. He willed it to stop, and steadied himself before answering. "I'll find a way. There's always Orochimaru. He was your student as well, wasn't he?"

Silence met his answer, the snide comment had hit home. Satisfied, Sasuke left.

As the door shut behind the willful Uchiha, a lean figure stepped out of the shadows behind the Chancellor's desk.

"He's a stubborn one, isn't he?"

The Sandaime sighed and nodded. "Yes, that he is. But aren't all geniuses, Kakashi?" He slanted a fond but exasperated half-glare at the silver-haired professor. "He's afraid, that's all. I doubt he's ever been exposed to so many people like himself before. He needs time to cope, and time to learn that no one here is trying to bring him down or destroy him."

Hatake Kakashi hmm'ed. True, the Uchiha heir reminded him of himself at that age, always edgy, wary, angry on the outside, but scared and crying and alone on the inside. He sighed. The Hokage had known there was no way he could turn this down. He was going to help the Uchiha develop all his talents, train him to be the best, even though he just wanted Sasuke to be as far away from the war as possible.

Hearing the sigh, Sarutobi Asuma smiled.

----

Sasuke made it back to his room without incident. He grabbed his bags, gave the room a once over, and left, glad he hadn't bothered to unpack, anticipating an early departure from Mutant High.

On the way to the garage, he passed Hyuuga Neji and his friends. Feeling their eyes on him, he stalked out silently, ignoring their curious, censorious gazes. Once in the garage, he dumped the bags in the passenger seat of his Gallardo, and got in.

"Leaving so soon, Sasuke-chan?" That lazy voice…

Sasuke whipped his head around, glaring at the professor who was lounging against the Enzo parked next to his black beauty. He narrowed his eyes at the nickname, and attempted to close the door.

"Running away is all you can do, huh? So much for great Uchiha courage."

Sasuke stopped mid-way. He got out of the car and grabbed the silver-haired man by the front of his turtleneck. The man didn't even flinch, he seemed to be smirking under that damned mask.

"What I do is my business, one-eye. And I should kill you for insulting my family." Sasuke's deadly tone would have sent a weaker man running for his life. The professor simply smiled, his one visible eye crinkling.

"Well then, what are you waiting for?"

Sasuke stared at the man, certain he was insane. No one picked a fight with him, not unless they had a death wish. Something about him was awfully familiar though, this close…

He dropped his hand, staggering back into his car. Dropping lifelessly into his seat, his wide-eyed gaze stared up at Kakashi.

"God-father Kaka?" Sasuke's incredulous voice held a tremor of hope.

Kakashi smiled again. "The one and only, Sasu-chan." He pushed himself off the Enzo, knelt in front of a bemused Sasuke. "I've been looking for you, but you're never in one place for long enough." His smile dropped. "So I came back to Konoha to get Sandaime's help. It was he who found you."

Sasuke stared dumbly. He couldn't remember much, but he remembered how Kakashi used to bounce him high in the air when he was a child, being his father-figure when his own father was too busy or too gruff.

Kakashi's soothing voice continued in the shocked silence.

"So, what do you say, Sasu-chan? Give these old loons one more chance? I'll be right here with you." He waited patiently, the way he always did, back when Sasuke used to hide under the bed or in tight spaces and refuse to come out because he was scared of the monsters in the closet.

Taking a deep breath, Sasuke steeled himself. True, Orochimaru had offered to help him, but he didn't like the guy. Every time he saw him, he wanted to scrub himself clean with steel mesh. And if Kakashi was here, maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

He nodded, the barest of inclinations. But it was enough for his god-father. Smiling again, Kakashi stood up, knees popping as he did. He made his way over to the passenger side, took Sasuke's bags out while Sasuke collected himself. After locking the car, they made their way back to the dorms.

They passed Neji and his friends again, and their raised eyebrows made Sasuke feel uncharacteristically self-conscious. "Caught a runaway, professor?" Some guy with wild dark hair called out mockingly. Sasuke gritted his teeth and clenched his fists around the straps of his bags, studiously looking the other way.

"Hardly, Inuzuka-san." Kakashi beamed. "Just found my god-son in the garage."

"God-son?!" Honestly, everything about him seemed to shock these stupid fools.

Kakashi waved at them and headed off to Sasuke's room, Sasuke trailing behind, trying to ignore the outbreak of incredulous questions.

Kakashi insisted on helping him unpack, refusing to heed Sasuke's reasons for being ready to leave in the event of an 'emergency'. Huffing, Sasuke gave in, and together they put away clothes and books and electronics and other random teenage memorabilia. Once done, Kakashi left, promising to bring more things tomorrow to make Sasuke's room look more like his room than a Holiday Inn advertisement.

Sasuke sighed, looking at his watch. It was nearly ten, and he'd missed lunch and dinner. His stomach decided to make itself known then, and Sasuke clutched at it unconsciously. He hadn't any food left, having used it all up during the trip here. Sighing, he resolved to just bear with the hunger till morning.

Grabbing his toiletries, he headed for the bathroom to settle in for the night. On the way there, he cocked his head to listen for sounds that would indicate that Neji and his friends were still in the common area. When silence met his ears, he entered the bathroom, feeling relieved, but slightly disappointed.

On the way back to his room, scrubbing at his face with his face-towel, he bumped into a solid chest and nearly fell, but strong arms steadied him. Looking up sheepishly, his eyes clashed with a cool winter gaze. Wincing, Sasuke realized that he had walked right into Neji.

He stepped back, and Neji walked off without a word. Sasuke headed off to his room, turning to watch as Neji entered a room near Sasuke's.

He put his things away, and got into bed. Sighing, he realized it'd been ages since he'd slept in a proper bed and not in his car seat. Sure, the Gallardo was his baby, and the seats were fine. But he'd missed the soft, fluffy comfort of warm beds.

Turning on his side, back against the wall, he sighed again, thinking of tomorrow, and facing the student body after everything today. He couldn't be fucked about being thought to be an art major right now, it seemed so trivial compared to everything else in his life.

Unbidden, the image of Neji's hurt look at Sasuke's cutting words came to mind, and Sasuke winced again. He shouldn't have been so harsh, but he hadn't known if the Hyuuga had been sincere or not. Sighing again, Sasuke flopped onto his back, looking up at the ceiling that seemed to glow an eerie dull white in the moonlight, rather like a certain Hyuuga's eyes…

Groaning in exasperation, Sasuke realized he wouldn't get any sleep without resolving the issue with Hyuuga first. Rolling to his feet, he made his way to Neji's room.

A muffled "come in" greeted his knock, and he entered a room bigger than his, but as Spartan and Zen-like. Hyuuga was in the midst of pulling off his shirt when Sasuke entered, and Sasuke blushed at the muscular expanse of Neji's back, wondering what it'd feel like to run his hands down that smooth skin…

Snapping back to reality, he cursed himself mentally for day-dreaming and reacting this way to Hyuuga. When he raised his eyes and met the calculating gaze of the half-naked male, his blush intensified.

"What to you want?" Neji's voice was cold, as cold as his Arctic eyes. Sasuke winced. Really, all he ever seemed to do these days was huff, wince, sigh, and curse.

"Es tut mir wirklich leid, Hyuuga Neji." He looked down at the carpet as he said it, because Uchihas never apologized. As such, he missed the widening of Neji's eyes, and the way his gaze softened considerably when the silvery eyes looked at the bent head.

Sasuke resolutely kept his gaze fixated on the ground, refusing to look up even as he heard Neji approach him, and two finely shaped bare feet came into his vision, blocking that little spot in the carpet where the door had been propped with a stopper.

"Uchiha." Neji's voice was firm. Sasuke flinched, hesitantly raising his head. His eyes widened when he saw that Neji was looking at him without that freezing censure.

For Neji, the sight of Uchiha Sasuke standing in his room in nothing but silk pyjama bottoms and slightly parted lips was almost enough to undo him. Almost though. He reminded himself of what Kakashi had said to him earlier, about how Sasuke didn't remember much of his life with his family, which is why he hadn't recognized Neji.

Neji stepped closer, watching as the ebony eyes widened. Another step, and their bare chests were almost touching, and every breath Neji took made his chest brush against Sasuke's dark pendant just slightly.

Sasuke seemed to have forgotten how to breathe, with the Hyuuga in his personal space, shirtless, and looking at him with eyes that sought to devour and possess.

The moment seemed to stretch forever, looking into each others' eyes, black on white. Until Sasuke's stomach protested a long day of abstinence. Blushing harder than ever, Sasuke stammered an excuse while backing away to the door, intent on leaving before he humiliated himself more.

"You're not making any sense." Neji's laughing voice cut through his unintelligible stammerings. "C'mon, I've got some food." He pulled Sasuke over to a low table, pushing him to sit on the cushions laid out on the ground. He turned and rummaged in a cabinet while Sasuke attempted to will himself to disappear.

"Here." Neji set down a plate of biscuits, a can of tuna, and some slices of bread. "It's not much, though. I need to re-stock tomorrow."

Sasuke thought of refusing the food, what the hell was Neji apologizing for?, but his stomach protested again and he gave in. Picking up a biscuit, he bit into it, thanking Neji quietly.

"It's no problem, Sasuke-chan." Neji's eyes turned a warm opal as he smiled slightly.

They sat in silence, Neji watching Sasuke attempt to eat civilly yet quickly. After awhile, the pure white gaze unnerved him so that Sasuke forced his hand at conversation.

"So, how long have you been here?" He avoided looking up at the other male, who was still shirtless and whose abdominal muscles were looking very fine indeed as he held himself upright on the cushion.

"Couple years. I'm 2 years from graduation, sometimes I teach the younger kids when the professors are busy." Neji smiled as Sasuke blushed again, his all-seeing eyes not missing how the younger male covertly scanned his body repeatedly.

"So you're older than me?" Sasuke cursed himself inwardly at realizing how much like a girl he sounded.

"Yeah, by 2 years I think? Or was it by a year? Not sure." Neji shrugged in that careless way of his, leaning back to snatch 2 beers from his bar-fridge. He opened them, passing one to Sasuke, who accepted gratefully. "First days are always rough," Neji said sympathetically, watching as Sasuke downed half the bottle of Heineken at once. He sipped his own beer more sedately as Sasuke made a non-committal noise in the back of his throat, turning to spread the tuna over the bread.

They sat in silence awhile more. Sasuke wanted to tell the senior male to stop looking at him like that; if he was hungry he could always have some of the tuna.

"Come out with me tomorrow." Neji's abrupt request almost made Sasuke choke on his sandwich. Gulping down the bolus of food, he thanked whoever was listening that he hadn't made a bigger fool of himself by sputtering on preserved aquatic life.

"Huh?" Well, don't I sound intelligent, Sasuke thought to himself wryly.

Neji smiled again, that amused yet soft smile of his that Sasuke would later learn was reserved only for him. "Come out with me tomorrow. To the nearby city. I need to stock up on supplies, and I'll show you around. We'll catch a movie and have dinner at Press."

"…Press?" Sasuke cocked his head at Neji, looking adorable in the older male's eyes. He wisely decided not to remark on the Uchiha's cuteness.

"It's a favorite hang-out for Mutant High students. It's run by one of the other student's family, and they're really nice to us freaks."

"Oh." Sasuke looked back down at his food, intent on finishing it before Neji pressed any other demands on him. Not that he minded, but he was just unused to this sort of thing. He'd been alone most of his life, he couldn't remember a time he'd ever gone out with people his own age. Hell, he couldn't remember a time he'd actually gone for a movie and dinner.

Neji smiled, content to watch Sasuke eat in that graceful way of his.

----

When he woke, Sasuke snapped to alertness, butterfly-knife in hand. Catching himself, he remembered where he was, unused to waking to 4-walls and no threats.

Stretching, he grabbed his things and headed to the bathroom. After a warm shower, he dressed quickly, making his way to the cafeteria for a quick breakfast before class.

The looks people were giving him as he walked reminded him of the scenes he'd caused yesterday. Scowling, he contemplated skipping breakfast and just going to class when an arm snaked around his waist. Whirling around, he came face-to-chest with a certain toned senior. Tilting his head back, he glared at the other male's presumptuous behavior, moving to extricate himself. Neji simply smirked and tightened his hold.

"Good morning, Sasuke-chan. Jumpy, aren't we?" He smiled that little smile again. Sasuke thought it looked very good on him, the same way his black muscle-tee looked very good on his athletic frame. He blushed and kicked himself mentally.

"Hyuuga." Sasuke grunted, resigning himself to his fate.

Neji's smiled grew marginally wider as he led them towards the cafeteria. "Were you thinking of skipping breakfast just to avoid people?" His tone was light and scolding. "C'mon, the others will be saving us seats."

The others? Sasuke groaned silently. Now he had to meet other people? Wasn't it enough that he was already talking to Neji?

They got their food, making their way to the table where Neji's friends sat, most of them drowsily trying to eat their coffee. Sasuke determinedly ignored the odd looks he was receiving from everyone in the cafeteria, focusing instead on how very comforting Neji's arm felt around his waist, and how the heat of the other male's body against his felt like Heaven. Startling himself back to reality, he looked up just as Neji was introducing the others to him.

"Sasuke-chan, this is Shikamaru," he pointed to the lazy looking male from the lecture yesterday. Said male simply gave him a nod in greeting, turning back to his coffee and cigarette. "He's your age, but a genius like you." Sasuke blushed for no reason.

"This is Kiba," he nodded at the wild-haired male from last night. "Your age."

"Hi." Kiba held out a hand, and Sasuke shook it unconsciously, not wanting to be rude to Neji's friends.

"Lee." Neji nodded at a male with coconut-head hair, and the oddest fashion sense Sasuke had yet seen.

"IT IS AN HONOR TO MAKE YOUR ACQUAINTANCE ON THIS BEAUTIFUL DAY!" Lee boomed, making everyone wince. "TO OUR ETERNAL YOUTH AND SUNSHINE SASUKE-CHAN!"

Sasuke looked at Neji, unsure if Lee was crazy or just plain insane. Neji smiled. "He's always like that. Strong constitution."

"That's putting it lightly." Sasuke muttered under his breath. He nodded a greeting to Lee, who was serenading everyone with U2's "Beautiful Day" song.

"Naruto. Also your age." A blonde male with three striped scars on each cheek grinned at him. Sasuke nodded back.

"TenTen. My age." Neji smiled at a beautiful exotic female with two buns on the top of her head. She smiled at Sasuke, and he nodded back.

"My cousin, Hinata." A shy, stammering girl smiled at him, blushing. Sasuke thought that Neji's eyes were much more glorious.

"The others are probably still in bed." Neji said, and Sasuke visibly deflated with relief. He didn't miss the way Neji smirked at that, but he studiously ignored him and turned to his breakfast.

It turned out that Sasuke and Neji were in all the same classes. Which meant that Sasuke had to put up with Neji's possessive arm around his waist the entire day. Not that he minded, really, it was just the principle of the thing. And now they were done for the day, and Neji was gently yet persistently guiding him to the garage.

Sasuke was amusing himself with imagining what Neji's car would be like. He seemed the Gallardo type as well, but one couldn't be sure. Just as Sasuke was scanning the vast garage for another Lambo, Neji announced, "Get in."

Spinning around, Sasuke stared. Neji's car was the gorgeous Maserati GranTurismo. The car hadn't even been released yet! How the hell had Neji gotten it? Staring at the bonnet that twinklingly hid a V8 470bhp engine, Neji had to shove him into the plush leather seat before Sasuke remembered that he was supposed to ride in the car, not oogle at it.

The ease with which Neji navigated out of the convoluted basement and onto the main road spoke of familiarity. And a great deal of confidence, whispered Sasuke's inner voice. He himself had barely felt the push, but he could see the meters on the board, and knew that Neji was red-lining the silver beauty, hitting 100mph right out of hairpin turns.

They reached Fira in less than 10 minutes, and Neji drew into the parking lot of a huge mall. Sasuke stepped out of the Maserati unwillingly, already in love with the quiet thrum of power and grace. Neji took advantage of his distraction, putting an arm around his slim waist and leading him into the mall.

The noise of the crowd hit Sasuke hard, and he couldn't help shrinking back into Neji, glad for the steady arm around his waist that tightened slightly in reassurance. They walked in silence to the supermarket, and Sasuke felt hopelessly domestic as he walked through the aisles with Neji's ever-present arm around him, the other hand carelessly pushing the shopping cart. Neji didn't let Sasuke go even when picking items, and Sasuke resolutely ignored the stares from a nearby elderly couple.

He noticed Neji getting ingredients for onigiri, and stared. Neji simply gave him that little smile. "I remember how crazy you were over onigiri, Sasuke-chan."

Sasuke didn't know why he blushed. He supposed he was flattered, and Neji WAS being rather sweet.

Sasuke resisted Neji's attempts to get him to choose snacks, and it was only when Neji threatened to buy the entire aisle that Sasuke grudgingly picked out some cookies and chocolate. Neji simply threw them in the cart and headed to the checkout lane, snagging a slab of Heineken and a slab of Corona on the way.

They deposited the items in the car, and headed back to the mall. At the ticket counter, Sasuke refused to watch a comedy, and they ended up in the back row of Ju-On 3, sharing a large popcorn and Coke combo. Sasuke ended up squeezing Neji's hand to within an inch of his life during the show, and later, after the movie, apologized profusely, but Neji would have none of it.

At least, Sasuke thought, him squeezing Neji's hand made sure Neji hadn't tried anything funny in the cinema.

_But you were in the back row_. His traitorous inner voice whispered. _Just think of the possibilities…_

Sasuke blushed again, averting his gaze when Neji shot him a questioning glance. They got in the car and headed off to Press in silence, and Sasuke lost himself to the Maserati's controlled power.

They wound up stuck in traffic, just as the perky radio DJ announced plumbing works up ahead, and something about a burst sewer pipe. Neji shifted the car into Neutral, then placed his warm, large palm on Sasuke's thigh.

His palm was VERY warm, Sasuke realized. The heat from it seemed to radiate right to Sasuke's groin, and to his horror, he found that he was getting hard. From a touch. In a car. In the middle of the city. Fuck.

_Yes, that'd be nice_. His irreverent inner voice supplied helpfully.

Sasuke was so caught up in cursing his inner voice ten ways to Hell that he blinked when he realized Neji had shifted in his seat, half leaning across Sasuke now, his other hand cupping Sasuke's flushed face.

"Something wrong, Sasuke-chan?" Neji's voice wasn't that low, was it? Or that husky?

Deciding not to test the squeakiness of his voice, Sasuke opted for silence. He looked ahead, trying to ignore how very long and dark Neji's eyelashes were, and willed the cars to move. It didn't work.

Suddenly his vision was filled warm opal, and he became VERY aware of Neji's breath against his lips, which felt drier than they should have been. The hand on his thigh shifted, and Sasuke stifled a gasp as it moved dangerously close to his growing erection. The hand cupping his face went to the nape of his neck, and suddenly Neji tugged and their lips met.

It was warm, soft, and very very arousing. Neji's mouth slanted over his, and a moist tongue traced the seam of his lips. His erection was cupped through the fabric of his jeans, and Sasuke had never been so upset with the thickness of denim in his life. At the same time, the steadily muting voice of awareness in his head was very glad for the tinted windows of the Maserati, as he parted his lips in a gasp and Neji's tongue took to tangoing with his.

It was slick, sensual, and suggestive. Sasuke could only imagine how it would feel coiled around his erection, flicking casually…

Neji pulled away just as Sasuke was about to pass out from asphyxiation, both of them panting softly. Neji's hand was stroking the nape of his neck in distracting, circular movements; his other hand had sometime during their kiss slipped into the waistband of his jeans, and fingernails were now lightly grazing his straining erection.

Neji's eyes seemed to consume him, swallow him whole, and Sasuke was only dimly aware that he was shaking, eyes half-lidded, as he panted through bruised lips. He felt flushed, overly warm, and wondered why the beautiful GranTurismo's air-conditioning was choosing not to function.

With a start, Sasuke realized that Neji was actually navigating the car forward, and stopping dangerously close to the M6 in front of them. How had he realized the cars had moved the 3 or so feet ahead if he'd been watching Sasuke closely the whole time?

Sasuke barely remembered shoving the thought to the back of his head, resolving to ask Neji about it LATER, when suddenly the view ahead was unobstructed but Sasuke had to close his eyes as a hot, wet cavern surrounded his freed erection.

He fisted his hands in Neji's shirt and hair, unsure if he wanted to pull Neji away or push him down, to make him take MORE of Sasuke as he did those very erotic things with his talented tongue. Then Neji shifted slightly, pressing on the accelerator, and the car vibrated at 5000rpm, and Sasuke couldn't stop the moan from escaping him this time.

He lost himself to the sensation, his world narrowing to Neji's mouth moving on his cock, hands fondling his sac and nipples, the Maserati vibrating around them, and his heartbeat thundering in his ears.

He came with a blinding flash and simultaneous darkness behind his tightly clenched lids, a hoarse shout that sounded like Neji's name ripped from his parched lips. When he recovered, he was panting hard, hair mussed and sticking to his face, and Neji was gently licking away the excess cum from around his spent member. He shuddered with each delicate caress of clever tongue on heated skin, until finally Neji's lips met his and he wrinkled his nose a little at the taste of himself that overshadowed Neji's own unique flavor.

When Neji sat back, smiling, Sasuke realized that they had moved an entire block in the span of time it had taken for Neji to suck him off. He flushed darker at the embarrassment of losing control as easily as a pre-pubescent boy, consoling himself with the thought that maybe Neji was just really good at giving blowjobs.

Which made him feel cold, wondering if Neji was perhaps just using him now as the Flavor of the Week.

He slanted his gaze towards the long-haired brunette, peering at his warm smile from under thick lashes. He instinctively wanted to mistrust that gentle smile, but he remembered the Sandaime's words, remembered that he was supposed to TRUST people now, and give them a chance. Kakashi had urged him to give Neji in particular a chance, when they'd spoken briefly in between periods earlier. And Kakashi would NEVER lie to him, he knew that.

Neji's smile was disappearing, being overtaken by a frown at Sasuke's continued silence, when Sasuke decided to unbuckle his seat belt and lean over. His sharp dark eyes didn't miss Neji's subtle tensing as Sasuke's seatbelt slid into its holder, no doubt assuming that Sasuke was going to get out of the car and run screaming. Then Neji's silvery eyes widened as Sasuke crushed their lips together, hand fumbling with the zip on Neji's jeans.

"Sa…mmph!" Neji was cut off by Sasuke's tongue delving into his throat, and he kissed back enthusiastically. Too soon, however, he tugged Sasuke back, panting. "What are you doing, Sasuke-chan?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the flushed Hyuuga. "What does it look like, Hyuuga? I'm gonna return the favor and suck you off."

Neji's eyes darkened and his breathing sped up, even as Sasuke freed his own erection from the tight confines of his dark denim.

"You don't have to." Neji panted, visibly shaking in his effort to remain in control of his hormones.

Sasuke looked up from where he was breathing on Neji's much longer and wider member. "I want to, Hyuuga. Now just drive carefully."

With that, he took all of Neji in at once. He heard Neji cry out, felt him arch his back, but mostly he was focused on how very odd it was to have another penis in his mouth, and how it seemed to fill him entirely and block off his airways.

He tasted pre-cum, and wondered what Neji would taste like when he came, wondered if he would be able to swallow all of it or if it'd squirt out through his nose like he'd heard that guy in the diner along some freeway say.

He concentrated on drawing the most moans from Neji, and when Neji stepped on the gas, he moaned as the leather seat vibrated beneath his groin. Which caused Neji to moan as the vibrations from the Maserati, coupled with the vibrations from Sasuke's moan drove him to greater heights of pleasure.

Soon enough, Neji was spent and trembling in his seat, and Sasuke was proud of himself for managing to swallow everything without choking. He continued to suck gently, milking Neji for all he was worth, before finally rising to look Neji in the eye.

The older brunette cupped his face and pulled him down for a hard kiss, tongue delving in to mix their seed together. Sasuke allowed it, enjoying it even as the more rational part of his errant mind reminded him that they were both still stuck in traffic with their dicks hanging out of their jeans.

Finally they broke the kiss, and Neji gave him that soft smile again. Sasuke tried to smile back, aware that it was probably more of a curl of the lips than anything else, but it seemed Neji understood.

The black-tee male gave Sasuke a peck on the forehead before releasing him, letting him fall back into his seat and straighten his clothing out. Neji tucked himself back into his jeans, then took Sasuke's hand with his gear-hand.

They held hands like that the rest of the ride, not speaking, but enjoying the sounds of their breath evening out as the traffic started to move.

The perky DJ was back on, announcing the sewer works over and wishing all drivers a safe and pleasant journey. Sasuke smiled.

Maybe it was gonna be OK.

A/N: Well, that's it for now. Should I leave it as a one-shot or continue on to develop a twisted storyline? Please R&R!

Translations

Neji: You're sexy, babe.

Sasuke: I'm really sorry.

And about the little scene in the car…I couldn't stop blushing as I wrote it, which is why it's so brief. Hope you guys used your imagination!


	2. Chapter 2

**Lose Yourself**

**Chapter 2**

**By BluWhispers**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, nor anything else created by Masashi Kishimoto.

**Warning:** This is a YAOI fic. Meaning GUY loves GUY, possibly GUY kiss GUY, and if this was a lemon fic it'd be GUY bang GUY explicitly. If homosexual love does not appeal to you, don't read this. You have been warned. Flames will NOT be appreciated and will definitely be ignored. Constructive criticism is always welcome though.

**A/N:** Sorry this took forever. Too many things have been going on – and then I lost all the work I'd done on this fic when my laptop and my STUPID external hard-drive crashed. If there are any errors in the plot/grammar/etc, please excuse a sleep-deprived author who hasn't got a beta.

**Summary:** NejiSasu. AU. Rated for foul language, violence, drug mention, and some hot-and-heavy scenes.

If he was honest with himself, Sasuke would admit that he had been expecting Press to be like one of those tacky, wacky taco-joints that students seemed to gravitate towards. As it was, Press was more like an executive club for the truly sophisticated. All whispers of elegance and scent of old money. Neji looked right at home – but then again Neji seemed to be the type of guy who was perfectly at home anywhere. Not because he conformed to the environment, no way. But because he could make everyone and everything conform to HIM.

Sasuke wondered if that subliminal assertiveness of Neji's was the reason why they were holding hands as they walked through the restaurant: Neji moving purposefully towards the back, Sasuke just following and trying not to look at the gawking patrons while simultaneously trying to glare them all to death. He wondered when he'd decided not to use his powers outside of Mutant High.

He wondered how so many students managed to afford to dine at a snazzy place like Press. And then he wondered when they would stop staring at him like that.

They came upon a patio at last – the kind of patio that would have made kings feel like bumbling peasants. Sasuke prided himself on only gawking for a second – but somehow in that time Neji had managed to very gallantly ensconce Sasuke in a cozy little corner of this perfect little world.

"The usual." Neji's deep voice snapped Sasuke out of his trance, and he was suddenly aware of a man dressed in a sharp suit walking away from their table. Had Neji already ordered?

"I thought we'd start with some drinks, Sasuke-chan." Surely Neji's eyes hadn't been GLOWING this morning? Yet now they were like warm moonlight – if there was such a thing. Sasuke knew he was staring, knew Neji knew, and for some reason he didn't care.

Neji's hand on his thigh and arm around his shoulders grounded him, and his more familiar feelings rose to the fore. His pride railed at his behavior – first the blow-jobs in the car, and now here he was acting like a silly pre-pubescent girl on her first date with Prince Charming.

And when Neji had ordered "the usual", didn't that just mean that he took his dates here often to impress them?

Was Sasuke just another notch in his bed-post then?

He stiffened, tried to pull away. Neji seemed to have anticipated that, and he pulled Sasuke towards him the way one would reel in a petulant kitten – all effortless, knowing, patient, and amused.

Sasuke told himself he would have struggled, really, had their server not appeared with a bottle of Richard Hennessy.

Neji had VERY expensive tastes.

They enjoyed their cognac in a kind of reverent silence, the drink of conquerors for two teenaged boys who had been through more than most men, and who would go through so much more.

"You know I like you, don't you?" Neji broke the silence first, because Sasuke had some time ago realized that he was way out of his depth in these very uncharted waters of intimacy and warmth.

"…yes." The dark-eyed beauty blamed the heat in his cheeks on the alcohol.

"Good." And that seemed to settle that, at least for Neji, who tightened his hold on Sasuke and leaned back, content and majestic in this gastronomical palace.

Sasuke didn't want to think about the consequences of anything. For now, he was happy to just be. He knew from experience that everything would go south when the sun rose, as it always did. He knew from experience that enjoying himself now would only make the loss worse when he was abandoned again.

But such was Neji's intoxicating charm, that for the first time in a long time, Sasuke ignored his instincts and let himself relax into a warm body.

----

Sunlight on his face and for once Sasuke didn't immediately snap awake. He didn't want to be proven right. It was childish, yes, and he thought he'd long ago out-grown pipe dreams and silly hopes. But a part of him that he thought had been buried with his parents was very much alive and really wishing that last night had not been a dream.

"Good morning, angel." A deep voice, husky from sleep reverberated in his ear, making him flush and melt with pleasure. Resolutely he kept his eyes closed, not wanting the dream to end.

"I know you're awake, Sasuke-chan." A chuckle, and dear God was that a warm (and very talented) tongue teasing his ear-lobe?

"Alright then, have it your way." Under ordinary circumstances that amused tone would have sent Sasuke leaping out of bed faster than a homophobe from a trans-sexual. But today was different. Today, Sasuke felt different.

A shift, a rustle, and suddenly Sasuke couldn't have opened his eyes even if he'd wanted to. Warm, perfect heat had surrounded his member, and dimly he thought he heard himself moan.

----

Sasuke took his bath alone – Neji being wise enough to know how far to push Sasuke's limits this early in their relationship. As he showered, Sasuke couldn't help blushing at the memories of last night and this morning. Dinner had been good – Neji had turned out to be ridiculously intelligent and well-read, and a very engaging conversationalist. And to top it all off, the Hyuuga was such a perfect gentleman that even his not-so-proper touching of Sasuke managed to look proprietary.

They had had steak au poivre, and it had been excellent. Topics discussed ran from Ivanhoe to isolation to iconography, and always Sasuke felt like Neji really understood, like he cared enough to understand.

It helped that Neji was smart – Sasuke really wasn't the most patient of people, and he could never understand why no one else seemed to get things as quickly as he did. He'd always been quick, always had an agile mind, even before his powers woke.

Neji had surprised Sasuke by his ability to keep up with the speed of his mind. Sasuke didn't respect many people, but he was rapidly starting to realize that when everything about Neji demanded respect, it was because this was someone who actually deserved it.

They hadn't had sex when they got back to the dorm, Neji telling Sasuke very gently that he wasn't the type to take advantage, and he'd already waited for Sasuke for so many years, so what was a few more dates?

Sasuke had felt touched, and faintly mortified. He was turning into such a _girl_.

It was Saturday, and according to Neji they were supposed to meet the others for a late breakfast and then a tour of the facilities. When Sasuke said he knew his way around the school just fine, thank you very much, Neji had smirked in that disgustingly sexy way of his and said that there was something underneath the underneath. Whatever that meant.

As he pulled on his clothes, his familiar paranoia came back and cloaked him like a skin that fit him better than his own. Neji was wonderful, too wonderful. And it had been too perfect. Surely that was unrealistic – to meet someone who was everything you wanted a partner to be, to spend your first date in paradise, to have nothing go wrong and everything go so right. It was too good to be true.

How could someone as perfect as Neji possibly be interested in a blood-thirsty orphan like him anyway? Sasuke was no fool – he knew he had more issues than Marilyn Manson. Who would want that kind of emotional baggage?

Who would like an unwanted child of a desecrated family?

Neji had professed a liking for him. Sasuke knew the sexual attraction was real, knew it was mutual. But he had found himself more attracted to Neji's depth, intelligence, charm, and utter chivalry.

And Neji was apparently even more enamored with Sasuke.

It was definitely too good to be true. And Sasuke cursed himself for not realizing it earlier.

Perhaps hidden cameras, perhaps drugs in his drinks when he hadn't been looking, perhaps swirling black on red when he'd let his guard slip. Perhaps when they were "touring" the facilities later, "underneath the underneath", perhaps that was when they would attack, when they would surround him and hold him down and take whatever they wanted from him.

Kakashi wouldn't allow it, but Kakashi hadn't stopped Itachi all those years ago either. Kakashi should have seen the signs, should have realized something was up. Kakashi was supposed to be one of the smartest people in the world.

Kakashi was supposed to protect him

Maybe this time, Kakashi wouldn't see the signs until it was too late again. And then Sasuke would have to pick himself up and try to hold his head high while he crawled away and hoped for a sleep that would never end.

He felt cold, even fully clothed in his climate-controlled room. It was like the dreadful realization had sucked the bliss clean out of him – but Sasuke was glad for it. Glad to be thinking clearly for a change, instead of floating around on Cloud Nine like a blonde opera singer from a Disney cartoon.

A part of him railed at his logic, insisted that Neji wasn't like that. That Neji was honorable, kind, gentle, honest. But his more familiar feelings dominated over his better ones, and he set his jaw resolutely. He would not be a victim, not anymore.

The knives came on, the brass knuckles cleverly disguised as part of his belt. He would have packed his things too, had the door not swung open just as he was about to pull his bags out from under the bed.

He straightened quickly, and made to turn, but not quickly enough. Warm, strong arms held him, circling him in a band of dreams. It was so easy to lose his earlier resolve, so easy to melt into the tempting heat that was Neji.

So easy to forget that there was no peace for an Uchiha, no haven for an Avenger.

"Stop thinking, Sasuke." Warm breath ghosting over an ear made him shudder. "Just let go, just be with me."

Neji must be a siren in disguise, because Sasuke couldn't find it in himself to resist. Not when his voice whispered wordlessly of home and safety and, if not happiness, at least a quiet kind of joy that could come only from contentment and peace.

_I'm such a GIRL_.

----

A/N: Very short compared to the previous chapter, I know. And more of a teaser than anything. I promise to dish out plots, plots, and more plots next chapter – as well as involve the other characters more. Hope you guys liked it though. This is kinda just to let you all know that I'm still here and that I WILL be turning this into a multi-part. Cheers!


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